Dragon Aster Trilogy (56 page)

Sybl looked at the trees that lined the park’s path as she swore she saw a shadow move beside one of them. “So was your Sentry popular around here before it found you?”

“I was just another of the soldier-like ones,” Xirel replied.

“What made you come to Aster?”

Xirel watched the last of the sun vanish over the horizon, then looked back at her. “It was a chance for me to expand my horizons.” He held out his arm for her to take and Sybl tucked the festra behind her and through her sash, before taking his arm. “Many, many years ago, there was a little farm girl I met.”

“In your Sentry form?”

“Yes. She must have been only eight, but what made her special was her ability to see me. Every day we would have a game where she would find me in her apple orchard. And every day she would win.”

“What’s the Sentry protocol for that?”

“With children, the rules tend to be less strict,” Xirel explained. “Because no one believed in her ‘imaginary friend.’ Years went by, and her visits became less and less often. After she hadn’t returned for some years, she suddenly reappeared again and with what emotion I had at the time, I excitingly ran to greet her. But she had grown older.” Xirel paused. “Her smile lasted only half a minute before Hino used me to snuff out her life. She died right in front of me, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.”

Sybl stopped walking with him. “I’m sorry.”

“I suppose that’s why I value your friendship in a special way, Sybl,” Xirel said and caught her eyes. “Because I know that no matter what happens in the future, neither I or any of the Sentry can take you like that girl was taken from me. Even if you die, I know your soul will always come back. Aragmoth has already proven that several times. Only now I feel as helpless as I did with that little girl in being able to help him.”

She nodded in understanding. “Well if Damek kills me, that puts all the Sentry against him, right? But I’m not so scared of the possibility anymore.”

“Oh?”

“Because you found me in the middle of downtown, in broad daylight, as a stag. And let’s not forget the realm of death that you so easily kicked me out of... You can only have a tracking signal on me.”

Xirel laughed. “In my defense I nudged you out, and kicked your dragon. And yes, you do have a tracking signal. Your Sylvan energy is easily visible for miles.”

“So much for hiding anywhere,” Sybl replied.

“Why hide?” Xirel asked. “Earth has its beauty to explore, too. And your light will not bother anyone here as long as we shine it in peace.”

“Pacifist,” Sybl said, nudging his arm with her own.

“It has its places of usefulness.” His smile was cut short then as he turned around on sensing something. Xirel unsheathed his blade as his eyes saw the shadows move behind the trees. “There should not be wraiths in the trees here.”

“Wraiths?” Sybl asked in worry, remembering the ones she had seen in the realm of death.

“Damek’s presence has made a gap of opportunity for them, as there are not as many Sentry around as there should be to keep them in the shadows.”

Sybl pulled free her festra and held it at the ready.

“Be careful, they are very fast.”

The first wraith emerged from the shadows, and as fast as the wind it came for her. Xirel cut it in two with his sword, as Sybl spun around in time to behead another. “Holy cheese, you aren’t kidding. Will a Nova help for this?”

“Yes, and we could use a few Sentry to come back,” Xirel said as another wraith cut his leg. He retaliated by cutting the solid shadow’s arm off, and then kicked it away from them.

Sybl regained her focus as she remembered her song of death. She began to hum and then sang, and the dark creatures screamed in pain as if her voice were acid burning them from the inside-out. The blades of her festra danced in tune with her voice against their attackers, until the demons retreated to the larger shadows they had come from. She let out a breath of relief at that.

Xirel sheathed his blade once he was certain that they were gone, and looked at Sybl. “You remind me of how I saw you on the battlefield in your past life.”

“Huh?” Sybl didn’t remember a thing until now. She was simply defending herself. “Maybe those memories just needed the right circumstances to heal.”

“I am happy that we can dance in battle together now, instead of against one another,” Xirel added. “But how positively rude of them to ruin our walk through the park.”

Sybl smiled as she caught the rest of her breath, grateful that she didn’t have to take on the wraiths alone. They sat down on the grass together then and waited for Luna to return.

The harsh snowstorm forced Cirrus to the ground on reaching the Suzerain Continent. It was impossible to track anything by his normal senses, as the Animus Threads of the world no longer led or vibrated in any direction with most of them frozen solid.

‘Did you think that I would allow you to return to my Continent?’

Cirrus looked around for Tenu as the ice shook. Then the shadow of the sea serpent passed under him. He really didn’t want another obstacle to fight through.

‘You allowed one of Aragmoth’s Fay to die and the loss of another will be the final draw of Thread on this world. His mere breath freezes the souls out of the eminor and Ancients.’

“If you’re not going to help, then get out of the way,” Cirrus said, as the sea serpent passed under him again.

‘Yes, I will help. By sending you to a quicker death.’

Cirrus turned and looked at the ice as it suddenly cracked and Tenu’s serpent crawled out from the water. He didn’t remember the black snake being so immense before. “Dammit. I don’t have time for this.”

Blood hit the snow as Cirrus went straight for its throat. It whipped its head and nearly threw his grip on it off, before he expanded bigger and brought the full fury of his weight down on it. The ice cracked, and both of them fell through and into the freezing water. Cirrus released the serpent as it tried to drag him deep enough to drown, and swam back to the surface. But Tenu grabbed his tail and pulled him back.

‘You will not escape my wrath so easily, dragon.’

Cirrus struggled to try and get free, before swimming down and sending his claws for her black eyes. But it was impossible to fight, let alone move in the icy water that didn’t slow Tenu in the slightest. He grew weaker as his blood left his body from numb wounds he couldn’t feel. He prayed that Sybl would find a way to make it, as he lost consciousness and blacked out.

Kenshe finally broke through the ice with his claws, and Gwa crawled in and swam after the dragoon as Tenu’s serpent swam away to whatever her attention was drawn to now. Gwa feared he wouldn’t reach Cirrus in time, but his perfect eyesight saw the dragoon, and he quickly caught him between his talons. He swam back to the surface, and the hole Kenshe kept open. Then he set the dragoon down on the ice where the phelan dragged Cirrus away by his shoulder. Then Kenshe grabbed Gwa by his neck feathers and hauled him out of the water.

Kenshe shook his fur out in relief. Then he looked at Cirrus as he sensed he was coming back around. “What did you do to piss her off so bad?”

“I think I will…just stop talking to females…altogether from now on,” Cirrus panted from where he lay on the ice.

“Do that,” Gwa coughed. “Because I’m not doing that again. That water is bloody cold, and Kenshe you smell bad enough to wake the dead even when frozen.”

“You aren’t exactly a flower garden yourself.”

Cirrus just blocked out their bickering as he tried to figure out what they would do next. The ice shook again, and he looked into the distance as Moon emerged from the ice. The Eminor had consumed the estus form of the sea serpent and doubled his size.

“You realize this will send the Atrum’s entire army down on us?” Gwa said.

“Might I make a suggestion?” Kenshe asked.

“We’re listening,” Cirrus replied.

“We can’t fly or travel the land or Keol in this. We’ll freeze to death before we get anywhere near Helios. We should take a train.”

“A train? Will it even travel in this?” Cirrus asked.

“The Keol is currently as hot as a sun—I’m willing to bet the tracks aren’t frozen,” Kenshe added.

Cirrus sighed as he didn’t have an argument against the idea. “Train it is then.”

Kenshe scratched his chin where the start to a beard had started to grow, before he looked at Gwa who was laughing at him, despite the pain in his face that hurt him more as he did. “What’s so funny?”

“I was just thinking that the best place to start with trains would be with your father’s Runners, and since we have you, with Prisca.”

The color drained from Kenshe’s face.

“I don’t think even Cirrus can mess up this girlfriend,” Gwa added with a snicker.

“Girlfriend?” Cirrus asked, confused. Kenshe was only fourteen or fifteen now. Clearly something else wasn’t being said as Kenshe wrestled Gwa down in an angry flurry of snow and feathers.

Cirrus stopped walking through the streets when Kenshe did, not being able to distinguish any of the haphazard houses from each other. Most of the Harbor was hiding in their homes, using what firewood and burnable things they could find to stay warm. The snow blocked off most entrances to the buildings, but they weren’t the only ones outside. He looked up to a closed window, where what looked like an ayame child was humming to the silent snow around her.

“Like I said earlier, Gwa is a complete idiot. As you can see for yourself, she’s only nine years old.” Kenshe looked up to the little girl, and it wasn’t until he spoke to her that she took more interest in them. “Prisca.”

“Kenshe? Is that you?” she asked as her eyes grew wider.

Kenshe smiled in turn, and Cirrus panicked when she jumped from the high window, landing on her feet with the agility of a cat. Then she ran to get a closer look at Kenshe. “I knew you were gorgeous!” Then the small girl hugged Kenshe as if her life depended on him.

Cirrus remained quiet, fearing his curse with talking to females could make this simple find and retrieve into a complete mess.

“Who is this guy?” Prisca asked, looking at Cirrus. “What a weird eye color.” Without warning, she grabbed Cirrus’ long, blond hair and yanked him down to her level to get a better look. She may have been just a little over a third his height, but she had a mean grip. “I like his hair. You will be in my Pack too.”

Cirrus gulped, and Kenshe tried not to laugh out loud. “It’s the sign of a good Novaist—eh, Caller,” he quickly corrected to the phelan words, “when they can see what they want in the future at such a young age.”

Prisca finished braiding a few strands of Cirrus’ hair while humming, before finally releasing him.

“Is your dad around?” Kenshe asked.

“He’s inside. Come come,” Prisca urged, and caught Kenshe’s hand to pull him inside.

Cirrus gave a precautionary look around and followed after the little ayame and Kenshe. He entered the two floor house and looked at the old, grayed wood walls that made the place feel more like a shack. The decaying support beams looked like they could give out at any moment.

“I’ll go get him. Oh, before I do, you remember his condition, right?” Prisca asked Kenshe.

“Yes,” he replied.

“I’ll be right back,” Prisca said and ran off from the kitchen to head upstairs.

Cirrus looked at Kenshe with his curiosity drawn to the ‘condition’ they seemed to only know, as he sat down at the small table.